Toxic waste receptacle

ABSTRACT

A toxic waste receptacle with a cover includes an exhaust hood that exhausts toxic gases from the waste receptacle and an interior bag closure mechanism that is operable externally and closes the bag disposed within an interior receptacle of the toxic waste receptacle. The exhaust system exhausts toxic gases from the interior of the waste receptacle and the internal bag closure mechanism confines harmful toxic gases within the bag prior to opening the cover of the waste receptacle to prevent toxic gases from escaping into the work environment.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention is directed to a receptacle for toxic waste. Moreparticularly, the invention is directed to a toxic waste receptacle thatincludes an internal bag closure mechanism that is operable from outsidethe waste receptacle.

BACKGROUND

Various types of trash cans and other waste receptacles that usedisposable liners, are widely used in various industries. Conventionaltrash cans include a cover disposed to seal the open end of thereceptacle and a flexible bag or liner disposed in the receptacle. Theflexible bags are commonly made of impervious materials such as plastic.The conventional method for handling industrial trash is to open thecover of the trash can and dispose trash within the open bag that ispositioned within the trash can. When the bag is full, the cover isagain opened and the open bag is removed by custodial or other personnelwho must then manually close the bag to package the waste it contains.

Many industries generate toxic waste. Toxic waste materials may includevarious parts, containers, wipes or towels that contain toxic materials.When such toxic waste materials are stored in conventional trash cans,toxic gases are produced in the trash can interior and released when thecover of the trash can is opened. The toxic gas emitted from the trashcan escapes into the working environment and can be harmful to custodialand other personnel within the area. Such introduction of toxicmaterials into the working environment can result in serious illnessesand other maladies.

Additionally, these toxic contaminants that escape into the workingenvironment can also contaminate and destroy the products beingmanufactured in the area. In the semiconductor manufacturing industry,for example, toxic waste that includes IPA (isopropyl alcohol), Cl₂, HCNand HCl is commonly generated. Using conventional trash receptacles,these toxic contaminants can diffuse into the work environment and causecorrosion and other failure mechanisms to occur on the semiconductordevices and substrates present in the working environment. Conventionaltrash receptacles therefore include shortcomings that render themunacceptable for handling toxic materials in a working environment.

It would therefore be desirable to provide a receptacle for toxic wastethat prevents toxic waste from escaping into the working environment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To achieve these and other objects, and in view of its purposes, thisinvention addresses the shortcomings of conventional toxic wastereceptacles and provides a waste receptacle that prevents or eliminatestoxic gases from escaping into the working environment.

In an exemplary embodiment, the invention provides a waste receptaclecomprising an exterior wall that separates an interior from an exterior,an interior receptacle for receiving a bag therein, spaced from theexterior wall. The waste receptacle also comprises an interior bagclosure mechanism that is operable from the exterior of the wastereceptacle.

In another exemplary embodiment, the invention provides a wastereceptacle comprising an exterior wall, an interior receptacle forreceiving a bag therein, a cover that sealably engages an upper rim ofthe exterior wall, an exhaust hood including an exhaust port, an exhaustsystem that exhausts the waste receptacle through the exhaust port, andan interior bag closure mechanism that is operable from the exterior ofthe waste receptacle.

In yet another embodiment, the invention provides a waste receptaclecomprising an exterior wall, an interior receptacle for receiving aflexible bag therein, and a rotator assembly that grasps an upper openend of a flexible bag disposed within the interior receptacle androtates the upper open end relative to a bottom closed end of theflexible bag, to close the flexible bag.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The invention is best understood from the following detailed descriptionwhen read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing. It is emphasizedthat, according to common practice, the various features of the drawingare not necessarily to scale. On the contrary, the dimensions of thevarious features are arbitrarily expanded or reduced for clarity. Likenumerals denote like features throughout the specification and drawing.Included are the following figures.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view of an exemplary toxic wastereceptacle;

FIG. 1A is an expanded cross-sectional view of an exemplary rotatorassembly;

FIG. 2 is a top, plan view of the exemplary rotator assembly;

FIG. 3 is a top, cross-sectional view of an exemplary exhaust hood;

FIG. 4 shows an interior perforated wall of the exhaust hood shown inplanar configuration for clarity;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the exhaust system of theinvention; and

FIG. 6 is a cross-section side view illustrating an exemplary situationin which the flexible bag closed for packaging waste materials.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an exemplary waste receptacleaccording to the invention. Waste receptacle 3 includes tank portion 5and exhaust hood portion 7 disposed above tank portion 5. Tank portion 5includes double walls 9. Double walls 9 include outer tank wall 11 andinner tank wall 13. Gap 15 is formed between outer tank wall 11 andinner tank wall 13. In an exemplary embodiment, the waste receptacle iscylindrical such that outer tank wall 11 is cylindrical and inner tankwall 13 is cylindrical and gap 15 forms an annular space therebetween.Waste receptacle 3 further includes bottom 17 and cover 19.

Exhaust hood portion 7 includes outer wall 21 and vented, orgas-permeable inner wall 23 that includes openings 25 in the exemplaryembodiment. Outer wall 21 and outer tank wall 11 combine to form asubstantially continuous exterior wall of waste receptacle 3. Exhausthood portion 7 and tank portion 5 combine to form can 27 that includesupper lip 29.

Cover 19 includes handle 89 and rubber sealing portion 31 that sealablyengages upper lip 29 to seal interior 33 of waste receptacle 3. Pedal57, disposed outside of waste receptacle 3 works in conjunction with alinkage mechanism to automatically open cover 19. The linkage mechanismincludes shafts 59A and 59B. Lower shaft 59A forms a lever by pivotingabout pivot member 61. In this manner, cover 19 can be opened withoutbeing contacted by the user's hand, as the user simply steps on pedal57.

Exhaust hood portion 7 includes exhaust port 35 which is an opening thatextends through outer wall 21. Gases within interior 33 of wastereceptacle 3 are drawn through exhaust port 35 and directed throughexhaust conduit 37 and away from waste receptacle 3. Conventionalpumping or bellows systems may be used to exhaust waste receptacle 3through exhaust port 35. Manual shutoff valve 39 is provided as a safetyshutoff to cut off exhaust flow 41.

Bag 43 is received within interior receptacle 81 formed by inner tankwall 13 of tank portion 5. Inner tank wall 13 is internally spaced fromouter tank wall 11. Bag 43 may be formed of various flexible ordeformable materials such as plastics or other polymers and is chosen tobe impervious and impermeable to the waste materials that will bedisposed in bag 43. Bag 43 includes closed end 45 which rests on bottom17 and open end 47 which is in the upper position in the illustratedembodiment. Bag 43 includes walls 49 and is shown in the open positionfor receiving waste, by solid lines 51, and in the closed position bydashed lines 53. Bag 43 may also be referred to as a liner.

An aspect of the invention is an interior bag closure mechanism that isoperable from the exterior of waste receptacle 3. In the exemplaryembodiment, the interior bag closure mechanism includes rotator assembly63, including handle 65. Further components of rotator assembly 63 areshown more clearly in FIG. 1A.

FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view showing portions of rotator assembly63 in further detail. Rotator assembly 63 includes clamp 67 that secureslip 69 of open end 47 of bag 43, to rotating member 71. Rotating member71 includes flange section 73 that is received within cavity 75 formedwithin the previously defined exterior wall of waste receptacle 3. Ballbearings 77 enable flange portion 73 to rotate freely within track 79formed by cavity 75. Rotating member 71 may be formed of various sturdymaterials. Handle 65 (FIG. 1) is coupled to rotating member 71 and maybe turned to cause rotating member 71 to rotate and bag 43 to open orclose with cover 19 in the closed or open position. Various conventionaltechniques may be used to couple handle 65 to rotating member 71 suchthat handle 65 causes rotating member 71 of rotator assembly 63 torotate. Handle 65 is exemplary only and other conventional devices maybe disposed outside of waste receptacle 3 to cause the rotation ofrotating member 71.

Referring again to FIG. 1, since lip 69 of open end 47 of bag 43 issecurely affixed to rotating member 71 by means of clamp 67, whenrotating member 71 rotates, open end portion 47 of bag 43 rotatesrelative to closed end 45 of bag 43. In an exemplary embodiment, theweight of the contents of bag 43 enable the bulk of bag 43 withininterior receptacle 81 to remain stationary, or fixed, as open end 47 ofbag 43 rotates relative to closed end 45. In an other embodiment (notshown) clamping or other securing means may be used to secure the bulkof bag 43 into position so that it does not rotate when top portion 47of bag rotates due to the rotational movement of rotating member 71. Forexample, closed end 45 may be releasably clamped to bottom 17.

FIG. 2 is a top view showing inner tank wall 13 that forms interiorreceptacle 81 that receives bag 43 (not shown), and rotating member 71which rotates as indicated by arrow 85, with respect to stationary innertank wall 13. In the illustrated cross-sectional top view embodiment ofan exemplary cylindrically shaped waste receptacle, it can be seen thateach of inner tank walls 13 and rotating member 71 are annular in shapeand concentrically configured. Other shapes and relative configurationsmay be used in other exemplary embodiments.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show further details of the exhaust hood. FIG. 3 shows atop, cross-sectional portion and a schematic portion. Exhaust hoodportion 7 includes outer wall 21 and gas-permeable inner wall 23 whichincludes openings 25 in the exemplary embodiment. Pump 83 may be used toexhaust waste receptacle 3 through exhaust port 35. In an exemplaryembodiment, gas-permeable inner wall 23 may be a mesh material or it mayinclude perforations there through. FIG. 4 shows a swatch of anexemplary gas-permeable inner wall 23 which includes openings 25. Theswatch of gas-permeable inner wall 23 is shown in planar view forillustrative purposes but conforms to the annular shape in the exemplaryembodiment illustrated in FIG. 3. Other suitable styles and arrangementsof gas-permeable inner wall 23 may be used an inner wall within exhausthood portion 7 such that gases from interior 33 may be exhausted throughgas-permeable inner wall 23 and exhaust port 35. The generally roundshape of waste receptacle 3 is intended to be exemplary only and morethan one exhaust port 35 may be used in other exemplary embodiments andadvantageously positioned in various locations.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate two advantageous applications of the invention.In FIG. 5 cover 19 is closed and bag 43 is in the open position. Withthe exhaust system operating, the pollutants within bag 43 are exhaustedthrough exhaust port 35. This reduces the gaseous contaminants withininterior 33 of waste receptacle 3. The exhaust system generates anegative pressure to remove a large volume of toxic pollutants frominterior 33.

FIG. 6 shows another advantageous aspect of the invention. Bag 43 isclosed and seated within interior receptacle 81. Bag 43 may beautomatically closed as described above, with cover 19 being in theopened or closed position. With cover 19 opened and bag 43 closed as inFIG. 6, the pollutants are contained within the bag and do not escapeinto the working environment when cover 19 is open. The trash is therebypackaged within bag 43. This configuration may advantageously be usedwhen bag 43 is full and a custodian desires to remove bag 43 from wastereceptacle 3. In an exemplary embodiment, the escape of toxic pollutantsmay be prevented by maintaining bag 43 in an open position and theexhaust system on, when cover 19 is closed such as shown in FIG. 5, andthen closing bag 43 using the interior bag closure mechanism of theinvention prior to opening cover 19. In this manner, when cover 19 isopened to remove bag 43, toxic pollutants have either been withdrawnfrom waste receptacle 3 through the exhaust system or safely containedwithin bag 43.

In another exemplary embodiment, bag 43 may be in the openedconfiguration when cover 19 is opened, to facilitate the introduction oftrash into waste receptacle 3.

The preceding merely illustrates the principles of the invention. Itwill thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able todevise various arrangements which, although not explicitly described orshown herein, embody the principles of the invention and are includedwithin its spirit and scope. Furthermore, all examples and conditionallanguage recited herein are principally intended expressly to be onlyfor pedagogical purposes and to aid the reader in understanding theprinciples of the invention and the concepts contributed by theinventors to furthering the art, and are to be construed as beingwithout limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions.Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, andembodiments of the invention, as well as specific examples thereof, areintended to encompass both structural and functional equivalentsthereof. Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include bothcurrently known equivalents and equivalents developed in the future,i.e., any elements developed that perform the same function, regardlessof structure.

This description of the exemplary embodiments is intended to be read inconnection with the figures of the accompanying drawing, which are to beconsidered part of the entire written description. In the description,relative terms such as “lower,” “upper,” “horizontal,” “vertical,”,“above,” “below,” “up,” “down,” “top” and “bottom” as well asderivatives thereof (e.g., “horizontally,” “downwardly,” “upwardly,”etc.) should be construed to refer to the orientation as then describedor as shown in the drawing under discussion. These relative terms arefor convenience of description and do not require that the apparatus beconstructed or operated in a particular orientation. Terms concerningattachments, coupling and the like, such as “connected” and“interconnected,” refer to a relationship wherein structures are securedor attached to one another either directly or indirectly throughintervening structures, as well as both movable or rigid attachments orrelationships, unless expressly described otherwise.

Although the invention has been described in terms of exemplaryembodiments, it is not limited thereto. Rather, the appended claimsshould be construed broadly, to include other variants and embodimentsof the invention, which may be made by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the scope and range of equivalents of the invention.

1. A waste receptacle comprising: an exterior wall separating aninterior and an exterior; an interior receptacle for receiving a bagtherein; and an interior bag closure mechanism that is operable fromsaid exterior.
 2. The waste receptacle as in claim 1, wherein saidinterior bag closure mechanism closes a bag disposed in said interiorreceptacle.
 3. The waste receptacle as in claim 2 wherein said interiorreceptacle includes an interior wall that internally confronts saidexterior wall and is separated from said interior wall by a gap.
 4. Thewaste receptacle as in claim 1, wherein said interior bag closuremechanism comprises a rotator assembly that grasps an upper open sectionof a flexible bag disposed in said interior receptacle and rotates saidupper open section relative to a bottom closed end of said flexible bag,to close said flexible bag.
 5. The waste receptacle as in claim 4,wherein said interior bag closure mechanism includes a clamp thatreleasably secures said bottom closed end of said flexible bag to saidinterior receptacle such that said bottom closed end does not rotatealong with said upper open section of said flexible bag.
 6. The wastereceptacle as in claim 4, further comprising a handle that causes arotating member of said rotator assembly to rotate, said handle disposedoutside of said exterior wall.
 7. The waste receptacle as in claim 4,wherein said rotator assembly includes a clamp that clamps an upper edgeof said flexible bag to a rotating member that rotates relative to saidinterior receptacle.
 8. The waste receptacle as in claim 7, wherein aportion of said rotating member is received in a cavity of said exteriorwall and further comprising ball bearings that enable said portion ofsaid rotating member to rotate freely within said cavity.
 9. The wastereceptacle as in claim 1, further comprising a cover that sealablyengages an upper rim of said exterior wall, an exhaust hood including anexhaust port, and an exhaust system that exhausts said waste receptaclethrough said exhaust port.
 10. The waste receptacle as in claim 9,wherein said exhaust system includes at least one of a pump and abellows.
 11. The waste receptacle as in claim 9, wherein said coverincludes a sealing portion formed of rubber, said sealing portionsealably engaging said upper rim.
 12. The waste receptacle as in claim9, wherein said exhaust system includes a shutoff valve.
 13. The wastereceptacle as in claim 9, further comprising a foot pedal that openssaid cover.
 14. The waste receptacle as in claim 1, wherein said exhausthood is disposed above said interior receptacle and includes adouble-walled perimeter including an outer wall that forms part of saidexterior wall, and a gas permeable interior wall, said outer wallincluding said exhaust port extending therethrough.
 15. The wastereceptacle as in claim 14, wherein said gas permeable interior wallincludes perforations therethrough.
 16. A waste receptacle comprising:an exterior wall; an interior receptacle for receiving a bag therein,said interior receptacle spaced from said exterior wall; a cover thatsealably engages an upper rim of said exterior wall; an exhaust hooddisposed over said interior receptacle and including an exhaust port; anexhaust system that exhausts said waste receptacle through said exhaustport; and an interior bag closure mechanism that is operable from anexterior of said waste receptacle.
 17. A waste receptacle having aninterior and comprising an exterior wall, an interior receptacle forreceiving a flexible bag therein, and a rotator assembly that grasps anupper open end of said flexible bag disposed within said interiorreceptacle and rotates said upper open section relative to a bottomclosed end of said flexible bag, to close said flexible bag.
 18. Thewaste receptacle as in claim 17, wherein said rotator assembly isoperable externally.
 19. The waste receptacle as in claim 17, furthercomprising a handle that causes said rotator assembly to rotate, saidhandle disposed on said exterior wall.
 20. The waste receptacle as inclaim 17, wherein said waste receptacle is a closed waste receptaclehaving a cover and further comprising an exhaust hood disposedsuperjacent said interior receptacle and beneath said cover.
 21. Thewaste receptacle as in claim 17, wherein a portion of said rotatingmember is received in a cavity of said exterior wall and furthercomprising ball bearings that enable said rotating member to rotatewithin said cavity.
 22. A method for packaging toxic trash comprising:providing a trash receptacle including an exterior wall separating aninterior and an exterior, an interior receptacle for receiving a bagtherein, a cover that sealably engages said exterior wall and an exhausthood coupled to an exhaust system and disposed within said trashreceptacle and over said interior receptacle; opening said cover andintroducing trash into a bag disposed within said interior receptacle;closing said cover; with said cover closed, closing said bag disposedwithin said interior receptacle using an interior bag closure mechanismthat is operable from said exterior; and opening said cover therebyexposing said closed bag.
 23. The method as in claim 22, wherein saidclosing said bag comprises rotating an upper open section of said bagrelative to a bottom closed end of said bag.